How to Set Up Page Redirects in cPanel

There may be times when you want to send visitors from one page on your website to another or change the destination of one of your domains. Page redirects allow you to do this without the need for extensive changes to the structure of your website. Using the tools available in cPanel, you can set up and manage as many page redirects as your site requires.

When to Use Page Redirects

Two types of page redirects can be created in cPanel:

301 permanent redirects

302 temporary redirects, also called “Found”

If you’re moving content permanently from one place to another or you wish to link a new domain with your existing site, use a 301 redirect. This redirect preserves your SEO efforts from the original page by telling search engines that the new page address is where visitors will be sent from now on. When a 301 redirect steers visitors to a new page, they are notified of the change and advised to update their bookmarks.

A 302 redirect should only be used in specific cases when you want visitors to see a different page for a short period of time before restoring the original URL. None of your SEO efforts transfer to the new page and visitors aren’t alerted to the change of location.

Page redirect commands can be used to:

Create shorter, more memorable URLs for pages with lengthy addresses

Direct all of the domains you own to the same site

Update or replace old content

With cPanel, you can set up multiple redirects to meet your specific needs.

Setting Up Page Redirects with cPanel

Log into your cPanel account and navigate to the dashboard. Locate the Domains heading and click the Redirects button to begin putting a new page redirect in place.

Under “Add Redirect,” choose the type of redirect you want to use. A 301 redirect is the most common and is generally the best choice in terms of page performance in search results.

Use the next dropdown menu to select the domain that you wish to set the redirect for. You may choose a single domain or all of the domains that you manage through cPanel.

Type the URL that you want to redirect in the box following the domain selection. Use the “Redirects to” box to specify the new page that this URL will point to.

Choose whether or not you want this redirect to work with URLs that include the “www” prefix. You can redirect for both forms of a URL or only one. Select the appropriate radio button under the “www. redirection” heading.

In some cases, such as when you’re setting up a new domain, you may need to have every file in an old directory be redirected to a new location. To do this, check the “Wild Card Redirect” box.

Review your settings to make sure that all the options and URLs are correct. Click the “Add” button to set up the redirect.

The new redirect command will appear in the list of Current Redirects at the bottom of the page. If you need to access a specific redirect, use the search box to locate it. You can also use this list to test your redirects by clicking on the appropriate link.

Note that page redirects can’t be edited. If you need to change a redirect in the future, delete the original by clicking on the red “X” next to its listing and create a new command. Use this list to manage all of your redirects and ensure that site navigation flows smoothly.